Cord cutters have no excuse not to watch the Super Bowl

If 2015 was “The Year of the Cord Cutter,” then 2016 is “The Year Cord Cutting Goes Mainstream.” While last year showed a huge growth in new streaming services, offering many great non-cable solutions for football fans in particular, many of these newer options like Sling TV remain under the average person’s radar.

But things are changing – and it starts with Super Bowl 50 this Sunday.

Last year over 1.3 million people streamed the Super Bowl with NBC. CBS must have seen this and decided it was a no brainer for them this year. After all, games on the big networks are already free over-the-air with an antenna. The difference between last year and this year is that not only is CBS streaming the Super Bowl for free, but they also streamed a handful of other games for free. None of these required a pay-TV login.

Now they’ve decided to take things up a notch with the Super Bowl and offer multiple ways for cord cutters to watch, ensuring that no one has an excuse not to watch the big game. Let’s take a look at all the options.

Use the CBS Sports App on Your Streaming Box

If you’re a cord cutter, chances are you have a streaming device to get programming on your TV. If so, all you need is the CBS Sports app. Download the app and tune in on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s it. Simple.

That covers just about everyone. And don’t worry, you should get all the commercials, too.

Go to the CBS Website on Your Laptop

No streaming device? No worries. All you have to do is go to CBSSports.com, where they will also be streaming the game for free. And if you don’t want to be glued to a small screen, there’s an easy workaround. Get yourself a HDMI cable and connect your laptop to your TV – the same way you would your Apple TV or other streaming device.

Use Old Faithful…the Antenna

Of course, one of the best things about NFL football is the fact that so much of it is available for free over the air. And the Super Bowl is no different. Assuming you’re in range of a good signal, all you need is an antenna, and you’ll get the Super Bowl in HD to your TV.

Not sure if you can pick up CBS in your home? Head over to TVFool.com and enter your address. You’ll get an in-depth report of exactly what you can expect to receive with an antenna.

What About Spanish Coverage?

Spanish speakers don’t need to feel left out. ESPN Deportes has Spanish-language rights to stream the Super Bowl this year. In the past, this would have posed a problem for those without cable, because ESPN is a pay-TV channel. However, recently Sling TV added ESPN Deportes to their Deportes Extra package.

So if you want Spanish-coverage, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial of Sling TV with the Deportes Extra add-on package and watch the Super Bowl for free. Once the trial is up, you have the option to keep Sling on a month-to-month basis, or cancel with no obligation.

Can You Watch the Super Bowl on Mobile?

If you want to watch on your mobile device, you’re out of luck. Unless you have Verizon, that is. Verizon wireless customers can stream the Super Bowl via the NFL Mobile app. But beware, live streaming will eat up your data in no time.

Will the NFL Be the First to Offer a Complete Non-Cable Solution for Cord Cutters?

“The math, from where we sit, is pretty exciting,” Ianniello said. “There’s definitely upside value. The $6 seems to be the right price point without it, and we’ll see where it goes if we can obtain it. But it’s going to be win-win. It will be a win for the NFL, a win for CBS and a win for the consumer.”

The NFL also rebranded their various streaming offerings into one official package, NFL Game Pass. This offers live streaming of preseason games, live audio streams of games, and full on-demand libraries of all regular games. Overseas, the NFL has an International version of Game Pass that actually allows you to stream regular season games live. I suspect that’s where they’re going eventually with the domestic Game Pass option.

Monday Night Football was available for streaming for the first time this year without a cable contract as well, thanks to Sling TV striking a deal with ESPN. This was a big breakthrough because previously cord cutters couldn’t get MNF, as it wasn’t available with an antenna (except for your local team’s game, which is simulcast over the air in the home market).

Now it looks like Thursday Night Football will be available for streaming, as reports indicate that Apple, Google, Verizon, and Amazon are looking to acquire digital streaming rights. As many people know, Apple has been looking to get in the streaming game with their own TV service. And Amazon has been making waves this year with their streaming offerings that are baked into the Prime membership.

Yahoo also got involved in the streaming football game, offering the very first globally streamed game for free: Bills vs. Jaguars. This marked the first time the NFL worked with someone other than one of their television partners to broadcast a game. This brought in a whopping 15.2 million unique viewers.

Other sports have already developed their own services (you can find sports-specific streaming services here in my in-depth guide to watching sports without cable), such as the NHL, MLB, and the NBA. But blackouts have proven to be a roadblock since many people want ways to watch their local teams without cable.

However, with the NFL already showing local games for free over-the-air, it seems that part of the equation is figured out. I for one can’t wait to be able to watch all NFL games streamed through my Roku on a regular basis. And I’ll be willing to pay for it!

[Chris Brantner is the founder and manager of CutCableToday.com, a Houston-based website focusing on cord cutting.]